


She's a Marvel

by MyNamesJared



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cool older sister Natasha, Dad Coulson, Eventual Romance, F/M, How Do I Tag, Multi, Original Character(s), dad clint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-04-24 11:33:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19172443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyNamesJared/pseuds/MyNamesJared
Summary: A young girl is suddenly swept into a life she can hardly comprehend when S.H.I.E.L.D. hears of her abilities. Suddenly Black Widow is just Nat, and Hawkeye is Clint. Soon she finds herself content with her own little family; that quickly grows. Join her on the adventure of saving the world and making friends.Not sure how long I'll continue this story, but I plan on finishing it after Endgame. If you're looking for a slower burn story check out the other story I'm writing :) Hope you enjoy!I'm eventually going to rewrite this story, I've stopped writing it for now but I will be back with a more... planned out plot lol





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm fairly new at writing, and I don't know the marvel universe like most people.. I also read a lot of Avengers fanfic so I might get confused with whats canon and what was story specific; and overall I probably will get a lot of things wrong/different, but I hope it's still a fun read, (and somewhat bearable). I also don't proof read right away cause I get sick of my writing lol, so if it's like really bad I'll edit the chapter later on.
> 
> I also don't have like all the science of it figured out.. so hopefully as the story develops it'll become more and more concrete, especially since the main character is so young and still figuring things out for herself.

Sometimes hero's come with flowy capes, medals on their chests and their own action figures.

Sometimes hero's come with home-made masks, a life in the shadows and a warrant out for their arrest.

I know now that I fall into the later. Shield sent agents to collect me. I refused to go. I knew I couldn’t fight them; they were master trained assassins. Legends to most criminals; Hawkeye and Widow. A team who could take down virtually anyone.

 

I saw them coming, a premonition, though a small blade of grass in a field, I saw the confrontation, the fight that followed, eventually having to submit. 

 

There were other visions the night it came, all of petty crimes and actions I’d normally help prevent; but this was big. I had mere days before I would have to make a decision.

 

Some think that the future I see is set in stone, but one small action could change everything. Sometimes I can see a couple of these possibilities, but more often than not I just get a glimpse at one possibility. 

 

I could fight them, I could attempt to escape, (though it seems pointless, knowing they would find me again anyways), or I could just go peacefully and see what it is their director wants. 

 

So it was only hours after that night of sleep that I found myself sitting in an empty loft on the top floor of a building in New York. My Dad had left me here years ago. This building is the first place I remember; it’s also the perfect place for an unknown ‘ambush’, that the agents had planned for me.

 

I watched as the door opened and a man walked in. I glared at him slightly, not exactly thrilled about having to go with him.

 

“Magnolia Alesi, we’ve been looking for you. We have to ask that you come with me.” The man spoke softly, and seem somewhat confused. I wasn’t sure why though.

 

“You say “we” but I only see you. Is the Widow in the rafters, or perhaps outside the door?” I knew that I was going to go with them, but it wouldn’t hurt to draw out more information from them. Surprisingly he smiled at me. Well more of a smirk as far as I could tell. There was a thud behind me as Widow dropped down. I smiled back at him.

 

“Anyways, are we going to go easy or do this the hard way. In fact, if you resist too much, we’ll just have to eliminate you.” he continued. I could taste the lie, another power of mine, the lie came off thick leaving a awful taste in my mouth, bad enough that I want to spit it out. I know from years of experience that it doesn’t work like that.

 

“That’s a lie. You’ve been given explicit orders not to kill me. For what reason I’m not sure, but a definitive no.” Hawk’s eyes flicked away from me for a moment, somewhere beyond my shoulder, assumably where Widow was standing. His face gave away nothing, but that brief flicker showed me that I was correct.

 

“Director implied you are a mutant of some kind, but that doesn’t change things. We have orders to bring you in no matter what. Fighting isn’t an issue for us, especially considering the tranquilizer Widow had pointed at you.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest as his speech continued, subtly flexing as if to scare me. I tried to hold back the soft scoff, but I didn’t hold back the eye roll.

 

“Alright, alright,” I said waving my hands as if to calm them. “I’ll go with you both willingly if I get some answers. I’ve seen what you two can do, so if you can’t answer a question just say so, I’ve already made up my mind.” Hawk frowned at me, and Widow walked around from behind me, her eyes instantly trained on my face. There was a flash of surprise and then confusion, but it was covered so quickly I almost missed it. I smirked, the pieces finally clicking that they were surprised about how young I am.

 

“If you’re going to come with us anyways, why should we answer your questions at all?” Widow questioned. Her voice was smooth but harsh, like she was having a different conversation in her head.

 

“Cause I asked nicely? Because I want to know what I’m walking into and you’re nice enough to give me what info you can? Maybe?” I gave them my best puppy dog eyes, something I used far more often than I’d care to admit. But my large blue eyes and thick pink lips made it so easy for people to fall into; not that I’d expect it to work on two trained assassins. “Plus if I ask a question and you say “We cannot disclose that information.”, and you’re lying, then I’ll know and bug you all the way to your super secret base.” My puppy dog eye turned into an evil grin, which I was well aware didn’t look that evil. Hawk sighed and nodded his head, but Widow stood stoic as ever.

 

“Ok, so first off what does your director know about my powers? And does he plan on experimenting on me to get them or use me to replicate mutants?”

 

“Director is aware that you have the ability to see the future. He’s aware you have other… capabilities, but he’s not sure what they are. As for experimentation, it’s a no on all fronts. As far as we know this is more of… a recruitment. Though considering you look like you’re hardly over the age of 12, I’m not entirely sure of that anymore.” The Hawk supplied answers, all truths. I frowned at the guess of my age.

 

“I’ll have you know I am a solid 14 years old, and incredibly smart for my age.” I said with a frown. Widow smirked, but I saw Hawk give a small genuine smile at my pout. “Anyways, what brought the attention of your director to me?”

 

“An organization noticed you, and has been tracking you for sometime. They felt like you were out of hand and needed to be contained, Director Fury saw something in you. Potential I would assume, to which Hawk agreed. I’m not quite sure yet.” The way Widow spoke gave me shivers up my body. My eyes widened. Who had been tracking me? How had I not noticed, nor gotten a premonition of it. 

 

“Who is it. What organization has been tracking me?” I questioned, panic seeping into my voice for the first time.

 

“That information is classified Ms. Alesi.” Widow informed. I waited for the putrid taste to invade my mouth, but nothing came following her words.

 

“Fine. Last question, should I say no to this Director Fury, will I be released? Will I have a target on my back for the rest of my life?” I looked into Hawk’s eyes as I asked the question, knowing I gotten to him the most in the short time we’ve been talking. He sighed and looked away, expressing vulnerability. I was surprised, but I held it back from showing on my face. He had either figured I wouldn’t hurt him, or didn’t take me as a threat. I chose to assume it was the first option.

 

“I don’t know. You will probably be allowed to leave, but you will be tracked; always have an eye kept on you. But that’s not a guarantee. Fury may have other plans for you.” Hawk wouldn’t meet my eyes anymore, assumably feeling guilty, probably only cause I’m so young.

 

“Ok.” I got up suddenly, and Widow had her hand on her pistol pointing it at me in seconds. Hawk looked tense, but didn’t draw a weapon. “Woah, chill Spider, I’m ready to go.” She hesitantly put her weapon away. “Alright cool. Hope we’re not going too far away, I get car sick.” Hawk smirked at me and opened the front door of the large loft. Widow went first, but Hawk waited till I followed. 

 

“So you got a name Hawk? Since you know mine so well, it only seems fair.” I paused waiting for him to answer, when I got none I continued. “You can call me Nol or Mag for short, I get the feeling I’ll see you two around a lot, and I don’t think I even have a toe in the door with Widow here.” Laughter that followed was trying to be subtle, but the choked off laugh came out pretty loud in the quiet building. Widow whipped her head around, looking past me to shoot a deadly glare at Hawk, his laughter instantly cut off. Her glare darted to me before she turned her head back around. It fell quiet as we continued towards a car. 

 

Once we got out of the building I spotted a large black suv. Hawk opened the back door for me, and stood there as I climbed in. Widow had gone to the back doing god knows what.

 

“Clint, or Agent Barton. That’s what everyone at the facility calls me.” I nodded and gave him a small smile which he returned. I felt calmer know I had a sort-of ally. Even if he would still kill me should he be ordered to.

 

\--------------------------------

 

The car ride to their facility was fairly boring. Widow refused to talk, and Clint tried occasionally to speak; but I was exhausted and stressed; and starving but I didn’t say anything about that. Eventually I fell into a fitful sleep as Clint drove.

 

I woke up as we started pulling into a huge facility. I could hear them talking in the front seat, but it took me a moment to register what they were saying.

 

“-know she has mutations that we don’t even know about, but she’s still just a kid. She clearly saw us coming way before we even knew about this mission; though she was shocked when she found out someone else gave us her info.” Clint’s gravelly voice floated to my ears. They were trying to be quiet, but they must assume I’m still asleep.

 

“We were both kids too, when we were introduced to this life. She could’ve killed thousands, and could be just as dangerous as you or I. This isn’t a kid to take care of Clint.”

 

“Just because she has the power to do something doesn’t mean she’s used it. And she agreed to come with us! She saw we were coming and didn’t run, or fight, she gave in. I don’t think she wants to hurt people Natasha. This is a kid. And I’m well aware of what age we started out, but think about how different things would be if we had a friendly face through some of it. Just someone we trusted; cause I don’t know about you, but it took me awhile before I trusted anyone at Shield.” Widow sighed. I chose not to acknowledge her name, knowing she would want to give it to me herself, if she ever decided to. 

 

The front of the car was quite for a few minutes before I decided to make it known that I was awake. Clint looked up at the mirror, attempting to be subtle, but Widow turned around completely. I smiled weakly at her, though I was tired of her suspicion. I wasn’t really in a place to be demanding, in fact I was kind of being held prisoner… just willingly.

 

“Where are we? Did we leave New York? I’ve never been out of New York. I’ve been everywhere in New York though. Oh wait, don’t tell me where we are, bet I can guess.” Clint shook his head with a laugh.

 

“Jeez kid, cool it. We’re in Washington. We’ll be meeting Fury soon. Kind of a big place so it takes awhile to get from building to building.” I made a pouty face at him when he said we were in Washington. I looked around and saw a couple of buildings in the distance, each marked with large letters reading different things. I saw soldiers marching around in some places; there were actually people everywhere. 

 

“Woah.. this is bigger than I was expecting… the vision didn’t give me any of this…” I muttered, though not quietly enough, Widow immediately turned to me.

 

“What do you mean vision. What did you see?”

 

“I saw you guys coming to get me, though I was somewhere else, and I didn’t want to go. I fought you and lost but not before doing some damage. Then you knocked me out Widow. Fucking hurt too.” I said with a frown remembering the pain that followed that vision.

 

Clint let out a laugh, but Widow seemed furious with my story. She turned a heated glare on Clint.

 

“If you saw this why didn’t it happen? I thought visions were locked. Like destiny.” I rolled my eyes, hopefully subtly so she doesn’t hate me anymore than she already does. I couldn’t help it sometimes, I blame being a teenager though.

“I have a feeling that I’ll be explaining how it works in mere moments to your director; and it’s fairly complicated, so I’d rather not explain it twice. If that’s alright with you. …. I Could tell you one of my other powers instead!” I said after a pause. I smiled and I saw Clint smirking at my clear excitement and Widow trying to suppress a small smile. 

 

“I’m just going to do Clint here, I feel like you might kill me if I do it for you…” I said suddenly unsure. It was a weird power. I considered it my most fun one; definitely random. Clint looked slightly startled now. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t do anything to you. It’s just… weird. I can tell a person's name, birthday, and a single, normally very very random fact about a person. It seems like a bad idea now… you’re like international spies or something..” I shrunk down in the back seat a little bit. It seemed stupid to have just shared one of my secrets so easily. I’ve never told people my ‘powers’, but maybe I just felt like this was my last chance to connect to people. Maybe they were just going to kill me once we got there.

 

Clint cleared his throat, looking at me in the rear-view window.

 

“It’s ok. That seems harmless. Go ahead. But also, does that mean you knew our names, even though you asked us?”

 

“No I have to like turn it on for it to know. If it happens subconsciously I usually just ignore it. Knowing names without people telling me usually freaks people out. The other stuff isn’t every relevant unless it’s a friend. So I know your name is Clinton Francis Barton, you were born on September 23, 1983. And you love to visit different restaurants wherever you go. Ooo that’s a fun one. What do you choose the places proclaiming to have the best of something? I used to do that with a friend.” Clint smiled and Widow was holding back laughter.

 

“I have to give warning, ever tell anyone my middle name is Francis and you’ll be getting a pie to the face. I do actually go to the places proclaiming to have the best of something. I’ve tried a lot on the East Coast and around the world. I can say without a doubt, where the best burger place is in both New York and Washington.” He said it smug and satisfied like he’d made a groundbreaking discovery. I let out a laugh.

 

“I’ll have to ask if I make it out of this alive.” I realized my slip of words a moment too late as the laughter drained out of the car. We were parked now, Widow’s hand on the door handle; but they both stopped, tensed. “Sorry… I didn’t mean…” I stumbled for what I had meant.

 

“We don’t kill innocents kid. You can trust that. Unless you provoke it, no one will even pull a weapon.” He paused and looked over at Widow. “Ok well, other than her, but she’s always got a weapon out.” I tried to give a smile, like I trusted his words, but I didn’t not really. I had no clue what I was walking into. This could be an interrogation about the people who kidnapped and trained me. Hydra is what they always said. Something that was thrown around a lot during World War II, but I never searched into the name when I left. 

 

I got out of the car, prepared to walk into my death.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so her like premonition thing is so horribly explained lol I'm sorry. Hopefully it'll develop into something that makes sense as I write this. Also I write Natasha kind of weird actually its all kind of like tense and awkward, prolly cause I haven't found a flow for the character quite yet, but hopefully that'll get better as I go. :)
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy, sorry for any spelling errors or any other mistakes <3
> 
> OH also sorry if this 14 yr old seems like a literal baby lol I wanted to write her younger, but it wouldn't really work with the story, so she's just got some repressed childhood issues. Also more on why she trusts them so much later
> 
> (This story isn't 2 chpts long, there's more to come i just dunno how to change the chpt count.)

Director Fury sat in a room with Widow. It was completely glass, so I could see them talking, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Barton had already gone in and talked with Fury. Both seemed reluctant to leave me alone, but I assumed they had to do some kind of mission report. Feed him any intel I had given them and give a run down of how the mission went.

I sat patiently, well, semi patiently. I was fidgeting bad. I had no idea what Director Fury wanted with me. I didn’t know if this was the end of the line for me or not. It felt like it was.

“I need to ask something from you… please?” I asked Clint quietly as Widow began finishing up with Fury. Clint looked at me and nodded, concern flooding his eyes. In my head I laughed, knowing I didn’t deserve the concern.

“I-I… can I hold your hand when I walk in? You can say no if-f itmakesyouuncomfortable!” I rushed out the last part, blushing and fumbling. I looked away from Clint and he didn’t respond for a moment. The door opened suddenly and Widow came out looking at us quizzically. Clint stood up suddenly and held out a hand for me. I grabbed it quietly, feeling stupidly reassured. Widow raised her brows at Clint as we passed, but said nothing. Fury looked as if he’d expected it.

“I see you’ve charmed Agent Barton Ms.Alesi. Please take a seat.” He gestured to one of the three uncomfortable looking chairs in front of his desk. I sat down in the one on the very left, Clint took the middle seat but Widow stood by the door.

“So I hear you had a... Let’s say a premonition about your run in with my Agents. A less…. desirable exchange, for all parties. You could also tell when my agents were lying, which I find hard to believe. They are both masters at covering their lies. Anywho, I’m in need of Agents who can fill rolls that no one else can. I need people for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or Shield for short. I need people who are on of a kind. And I think you are one of those people.” I started to shake slightly and tears welled up in my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. I don’t cry anymore. Clint gripped my hand tighter.

“I understand that you have a past Magnolia, but you could make a difference in our world. You could help people. We won’t use you as a lab rat nor a slave. You’ll be trained first and payed. You’ll get access to anything you need. But in exchange you have to help us when you can, or when you need you.” I began shaking my head, fear pouring through me. I was content with my routine on the streets. I was content helping out the little guys. Fury sighed. I could tell he was about to play his last card.

“Hydra.” I jerked away, enough for Clint to drop my hand. “They are still out there working and fighting and taking innocent lives. With the few powers we know about, you could save a lot of people. You wouldn’t even have to fight, though I’m aware you’re more than capable.” I could feel all their eyes on me, waiting for an answer.

“What happens if I say no?” I asked quietly, looking up at Fury. He smiled and Clint made a slight gaspy sound, though it sounded fake and was more of mockery than of actual surprise. Fury shot him a sharp look.

“I can’t leave such a young kid on the streets. I’d find a place for you to stay, until you turned 18. Where ever it would be, with whoever, they’d keep an eye on you; make sure you don’t turn into a villain as you grow older. If you don’t propose a threat, then we’d let you go off on your own after that, though I’d be sure to ask if you’d join Shield, again.” I nodded. 

I looked down at my lap again, thinking about what he said. It felt like I was making a life changing decision. It felt like I was setting myself up for a lot of horrible premonitions. It felt as if I was making history. My head felt heavy suddenly, my mind blurry and spinning. I looked up with a gasp before my eyes were overtaken with images.

Loss, blood, wars. Images of horror and murder filled my eyes. Innocent lives lost. I didn’t feel any physical pain, but the emotions bled into my bloodstream. I could feel my body seizing as the images flashed, I felt a flash of pain as I assumably fell from the chair, though my mind didn’t register that till after.

I saw a golden glove. I saw flashes of dust. I saw loss. Unnecessary loss. 

The images faded and the voices around me slowly came back into focus. My body shot up, knocking my head against whoever had been leaning over me. I took deep gasping breaths as the pain of the emotions slowly began to fade. Leaving me with an alarming headache.

“I’m going to assume that was a vision, and that you didn’t have a seizure on my office floor.” Fury said in a deep drawl. I shook my head, attempting to clear it. I held up my finger to him and covered my nose and popped my ears.

“Sorry, they don’t normally happen when I’m awake. On the rare occasion they do, they’re bad and my body can’t handle the emotional or physical pain.” I stayed on the floor trying to shake the pain from my limbs. I turned to where Clint was sitting and found his chair empty. Widow stood by the door with a man who was clutching his head slightly. I winced, knowing I had done it. “I’m sorry, I can’t really control myself when I first get out of one; the panic is kind of… overwhelming.” The man looked up frowning. I was surprised he wasn’t frowning at my actions, but rather my apology.

“This is Agent Coulson. I had Romanov grab him when you hit the floor. Clint went for a doctor, I’ll call him back if you’re ok?” I nodded, knowing that the doctor wouldn’t be able to do anything. He turned and pulled out a phone. I tried to pull myself together, pushing my body up on shaking limbs. The new agent walked over and pulled me up with ease and guided me back to my chair. He held out his hand for me to shake once I was down.

“Agent Phil Coulson, handler for Romanov and Barton. No need to apologize about what happened kid, that looked more than painful. Do you want water or something?” I shook my head blushing slightly. I felt guilty that they had all seen that. If I had planned on leaving without someone watching over me, I was shit out of luck now. I could feel the concern leaking off Agent Coulson, and even Romanov seemed more on edge. Fury hung up his phone after seemingly arguing for a moment. Agent Coulson backed off, standing next to Romanov. The room felt tense and I let out an awkward chuckle. 

“I’m.. I’m not going to spontaneously combust… it was just a premonition….” I said it quietly but the words felt large coming out of my mouth. The door opened and Clint walked in, concern radiating from his posture. When his eyes found me he seemed more relieved, but still tense. Director Fury held up a hand as he opened his mouth. I saw a flash of irritation as he obeyed.

“What did you see in the ‘premonition’, as you call them?” My body tensed thinking about it again. The emotion of it still bleeding out of me like an open wound.

“Well I feel like I should explain how they work, considering I’m agreeing to work with you, I feel like it’ll be important for you to understand them.” I didn’t pause as I said this; Fury hardly even moving, as if I were completely predictable. I frowned slightly but continued on. “I call them premonitions because they relate more to that, than say a vision of the future. The things I see are not locked in place, bound to happen no matter what I do, they are quite the opposite. If one thing is different, there’s an entirely different outcome. I can make these changes, and people who have heard what the premonition is can make changes, but if left untouched, it will continue on the natural path that the world is on. I’m sure there are others who can touch the ‘stream’ as I call it.” I looked around and saw Coulson and Clint making faces. I laughed quietly before turning back to Fury. “Time is one singular stream, if it is left to keep running, it will run infinitely on. When people who can see time mess with it, it’s as if they changed the flow of a section of water. In the long run it doesn’t change the entire stream, but that area is moving faster or slower.” I shook my head knowing that it didn’t make sense. 

“It doesn’t make sense because it’s not right. I know that’s not how it works, but that’s the feeling I get from it. I don’t really understand it. Like at all. I know if I’m in the premonition and I get hurt, I feel the pain. If I’m not I can feel emotions and feelings if they’re strong enough. It usually revolves around how traumatic or important the event is. I know sometimes I get a lot at once, and sometimes I get one big movie. I know that one hurt more than any I’ve had in awhile. I wasn’t in it… but the feelings of loss and despair… so many innocent lives lost. So many unnecessary deaths…” I trailed off as the images played over in my mind. Clint cleared his throat quietly and my eyes blinked back into focus.

“I don’t know what me joining Shield will do, but it will change what I saw… and anything is better than what I saw.” I looked at Fury with confidence. I was sure this was the right decision. Fury stared at me for a moment longer.

“Agents Barton, Romanov, you’re dismissed. I’ll call you should I need you again.” Fury flicked his intense gaze to Clint who seemed reluctant to leave. Romanov didn’t look thrilled either, but left dragging Clint behind her. The moment the door close Romanov reached over and slapped Clint on the back of his neck. I snickered as they began to bicker.

“Agent Coulson, how would you feel about taking Magnolia here under your wing? She seems to have gained the attention of one of your agents; I’m sure the other will follow quickly.” Fury was still looking at me, judging if I was serious about this decision. I gave a firm nod, as if to say I was sure. Coulson seemed surprised by Fury’s question.

“As an Agent? Sir? Isn’t she… too young to become an Agent? Not that I- I’m saying no… I’m just…” I watched as Coulson floundered. I could see Fury hiding a slight smile as well.

“Did I say anything about becoming an Agent? No, you get to babysit just like you do with those two,” he said, his eyes flicking to Clint and Romanov as they continued to bicker. “She’ll take the extra room in your apartment, or you can figure out which of the agents would want to take her into their apartment. Train with her three times a week, let Romanov teach her some of her… more interesting skills, Barton can teach her to shoot. She can help when I decide she’s ready.” My eyes had widened, but not nearly as much as Coulsons.

“Agent Coulson and… we’ll call you Intern Alesi, you’re both dismissed.” Coulson stood immediately, though he didn’t look ready to let this go without talking more. It took me a moment to stand and leave. As soon as my back was turned on Fury I felt panic and regret fill me. Suddenly I was questioning if there were other ways I could’ve fought the future I saw. My answer was of course there were… there were always other options.

I realized that all three of them were looking at me. I saw more than suspicion in Romanov’s eyes for the first time; pity. It shook me from the fog of ifs and buts. I pulled myself together, knowing I could fall apart later. Coulson cleared his throat.

“Let’s get down to the team floor… We can talk there.” Coulson began walking and I instantly followed. Clint and Romanov fell behind me. My body felt like bricks as we walked. I needed food. It had been over a day since I’d last eaten and the vision had taken so much out of me. Once we were in the elevator I felt myself check out a bit. My mind was racing too fast for me to keep up with. It seemed like hours later that there was a hand on my shoulder. I jerked away and saw Clint nodding to the open elevator door. I mumbled sorry before stepping out.

The floor we’d stepped out onto was one long hallway with two doors. Coulson opened the door on the right side. I held back a gasp at how large the room was. There was a large seating area with a massive TV and a huge kitchen. I could see a hallway with three doors.

 

“This is the communal part of our apartment. We all have homes outside of Trikelson, but we spend a majority of our time here. You’ll be staying here with us, though where you’re sleeping is still up for debate…” Coulson trailed off, looking at me as if I were a complex puzzle. “Do you have stuff somewhere?” 

“No.. just the clothes on my back. Never carried much of anything. Never needed anything…” I looked around again before wandering towards the kitchen; attempting to find the confidence I’d started the day out with. I felt as if I’d been through the ringer with my emotions. “I haven’t eaten in a day can I get something to eat while we talk?” They all stood there speechless for a moment, but Romanov moved first. 

“Everything that’s in this kitchen is open to anyone. We all have our own kitchens in our room, so stuff that’s out here is stuff for everyone. Clint usually makes big meals and puts them in the freezer, Coulson supplies the fresh stuff, I supply everyone's junk food needs. I’ll heat you up one of Clints dinners, they’re really filling if you haven’t eaten in while.” I smiled as she talked, liking the friendlier side of the woman. “You can call me Natasha by the way. I’ll let you know what you can call me Nat.” I nodded enthusiastically. Clint and Coulson seemed to have regained their senses as they walked to the large island in the middle of the kitchen and took seats next to each other.

“I’ll take some too!” Clint called and Coulson made a sound of agreement. Natasha turned and gave them a disapproving but entertained look.

“Did your lives get turned upside down today? Did you have a painful seizure… thing? I thought not, get off your asses and do it yourselves.” I smiled a took a chair at the island. They bantered on for awhile, talking about pointless things while I ate. I could tell they were trying to make things more comfortable. I could tell they weren’t great with an emotional teenager, so I held myself together. After I finished eating, I let out a soft yawn.

“I’ll take her. She can sleep in my extra room.” Natasha said surprisingly. Clint looked at her wide eyed and stunned, while Coulson looked relieved from having the awkward conversation. Clint opened his mouth but Natasha just looked at him and nodded. Natasha held out her hand for me to take, I hesitated looking over at Clint and Coulson for a moment. They seemed like the least deadly options, but I could also tell Natasha had a change of heart at some point throughout the day. I ignored the warning signs in my head and took her hand.

I felt childish again, holding her hand. I’d felt more like a child today than I’d ever had in my entire life. Natasha looked over at me as we walked towards the hallway.

“What are you thinking about during all of this?” She asked it gently, as if she knew I was on the edge of breaking down. I laughed, but it came out more choked.

“I was thinking that I don’t think I’ve ever been more of a kid than I have today. I feel five, not fourteen.” Natasha looked at me for a moment before letting a small smile slip on her face.

“Kids who are forced through traumatic situations tend to suppress their childish aspects till they feel safe enough to expose themselves like that. I think it’s a good thing. I also think it’s a good thing you agreed to come with us.” I looked up at her surprised. “I know I’m surprising myself too. Not really one for affection, let alone touching,” she said as she swung our hands slightly. “You’re different kid. I think you changed things, for some reason. I got this feeling that we just gained a new family member in our odd little group. The boys won’t realise it as quickly though. Anyways, this is my apartment.” She opened the door we were standing in front of to reveal an apartment dipped in red and black with a sort of modern vibe to it. Cold, but not in an unwelcoming way.

“This is my bathroom and my room,” she motioned towards the right side of the apartment where there was a short hallway with two doors. “That side is your bathroom and the extra bedroom, which can be yours as long as you want it to be.” Opposite to the first hallway she had mentioned was another one that looked exactly the same. In the space between there was a kitchen that looked like a cut down model of the one in the common rooms, and a couch in front of a TV.

“This place is insanely big. I’ve never even had my own room before, let alone even seen a house this big.” Natasha nodded.

“It takes some getting used to, but the entire place is safe; you can go out into the common rooms at anytime. Coulson will have the front door locked at night, but during the day your free to explore the building. There is another group of agents across the hall from us, all fairly nice. They might stop you but if you tell them about Fury they’ll leave you alone. Anyways, I’m sure you’re exhausted so I’ll get you Pjs. I think I have some that will fit you.” She disappeared into one of the doors before reammerging with a set of silk pink pajamas. “We’ll get you clothes soon. Benefit of Shield is a lot of money to spend, and damn if I don’t love shopping.” I laughed and took the pjs.

“Thank you for this. Thank you for all of it.” She gave a short nod before turning towards her room.

“Go take a shower and go to sleep kid. We all wake up early so find someone when you wake up.” I turned towards the bathroom as she disappeared into her room. I could hear the subtle click of the lock turning, I knew I hadn’t gained her complete trust, but she was definitely warming up to me.

The bathroom was huge compared the the motel bathrooms I’d used the past two years. I took the longest shower, using the expensive soaps with names that I couldn’t even pronounce. After I slid into the silk pjs, tightening the bottoms a lot, considering how small my waist was. The top fit fine, I felt naked though. Used to sleeping in my layers of clothes. I hung up my towel and mopped up any water that had leaked from the shower before making my way to the bedroom.

The room was mostly white surprisingly. I assumed Natasha hadn’t bothered to redecorate this room. I didn’t mind though, I preferred the brighter end of the color spectrum. I laid my dirty old clothes by the foot of the bed, before climbing onto the bed and immediately sinking into the deep sofa. I groaned, not used to the comfort. I knew I wouldn’t sleep well.

I pulled the big comforter off the bed and curled it up in the far left corner of the room, leaving me furthest from the door. Soon pillows followed onto the pile. I looked around for another blanket and spotted the dresser. I opened the bottom drawer and found a huge soft grey blanket and pulled it out. I let out a groan of how nice and soft it was.

I wanted to think before I fell asleep, but as I layed down with the heavy blanket covering my body, I instantly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate ittttttt. It's such a bad chapter but I wrote too much to just delete it lol. So sorry it's literal trash, also I don't know anything about seizures so the part is just like a guess. 
> 
> So sorry if this is like unbearable to read, I hope it's not that bad. We'll switch back to Magnolias POV next chapter and never do this thing again.

When we began searching for this girl, we had no clue what to expect. Fury had little information about the girl, other than her name and that she had some type of abilities. She could fight too, but Fury seemed sure it wouldn’t come to that. We staked out the building she was staying in for a couple of hours now; but she wasn’t moving. She was sitting in a chair fidgeting, but it was like she was waiting for someone to walk into the door, facing it determinedly.

Nat made the decision to engage, though it was just me walking in.

The moment I opened that door it felt wrong. This is a kid, hardly old enough to be in middle school. Definitely not old enough to be on her own. 

“Magnolia Alesi, we’ve been looking for you. We have to ask that you come with me.” I approached carefully. I didn’t want to fight this kid, I also didn’t know what powers she had. We don’t know how dangerous she really is.

“You say “we” but I only see you. Is the Widow in the rafters, or perhaps outside the door?” I smirked slightly, this kid was smart. Observant too. She must’ve heard of Hawk and Widow before. I kept my eyes on Magnolia as Nat dropped from the rafters. She had a dart gun pointed at the girl and I had to suppress a frown.

“Anyways, are we going to go easy or do this the hard way. In fact, if you resist too much, we’ll just have to eliminate you.” I could taste something gross as I said the lie, and I watched as the girls face scrunched up with distaste.

“That’s a lie. You’ve been given explicit orders not to kill me. For what reason I’m not sure, but a definitive no.” I flicked my eyes to Nat to see her give a half shrug and mouth power. I focused back on her.

“Director implied you are a mutant of some kind, but that doesn’t change things. We have orders to bring you in no matter what. Fighting isn’t an issue for us, especially considering the tranquilizer Widow had pointed at you.” I felt gross making the threat and I watched in amusement as she rolled her eyes.

“Alright, alright,” She raised her arms to wave me down, but I saw Nat tense. I noticed immediately how thin she was as she moved. “I’ll go with you both willingly if I get some answers. I’ve seen what you two can do, so if you can’t answer a question just say so, I’ve already made up my mind.” I frowned at her and watched Widow walk around from behind her, holstering the gun quickly. Surprise and confusion flitted across Nat’s face. The girl smirked, probably figuring out we thought she was too young. 

We continued talking until we eventually ended up in the car. This kid acted kind of tough, but I could tell she was scared. I could tell she was guessing, and had no clue what she was walking into. But she was just a kid, and so far her powers seemed harmless. I could tell Nat was still on edge. She reminded me of myself as a kid, lost and insecure; alone.

While we were driving I got Nat to chill a bit, be a bit more open minded about her. She is just a kid after all. Probably hadn’t developed her evil tendencies yet. She opened up about another power, then shut down. Watching her mentally yell at herself mad me feel bad for the kid, so I told her it was alright, even though I had no clue what the hell she was gonna do. Nat looked surprised, but she knew I have a soft spot for kids.

Hell I had my own kids sitting at home with their mom, waiting for their Dad to come home from his top secret mission. 

I flinched when she said something about coming out of this alive. The idea of this kid dying because we brought her here freaked me out. The comment made me more sound in my belief that she was innocent, that she would help us.

I told Fury so when I spoke with him.

“This person you told us to find, you said they might be young, I was thinking early twenties, Sir. She seems a bit young to be joining the Shield ranks.” I was worried for the kid, I had no clue what Fury had in mind for her. Sure her Premonitions could be helpful, and she’s a human lie detector, but she’s a kid. She’s unsure and scared, no matter how much confidence she fakes.

“I think this child has been through so much that her age doesn’t really matter. I could say that about two of my agents as well. I may have not let on how much I knew about Magnolia. We have access to quite a bit of her background already. No family alive as far as we know, and kidnapped by ex-hydra agents; who used her as a lab rat for nine years Barton. Do you really think she can’t handle Shield?” I looked away, not having a reasonable argument. “No need to stress yourself; I’m not throwing her into a mission anytime soon. Going to find a team to take her under their wing for a bit. Thinking Strike team Alpha. They’re right across the hall from you, aren’t they?” Fury questioned calmly. My eyes shot to him. Team Alpha was bunch of rowdy guys. They couldn’t count to 20 without two of them. They would kill Magnolia in a week.

“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think that would be the best team for Magnolia. She’s a kid, she needs someone who can look after her, or at the very least someone who can look after themselves.” Fury eyed me for a moment.

“Alright, I’ll think of a team who’d be good with kids…” He looked at me with a smirk, as if I’d fallen for one of his well worded traps. It immediately clicked that he would place her with us, and I couldn’t help but smile, happy for once, that I’d fallen into his trap.

“Dismissed; send Agent Romanov in.” I turned and stepped out of the office motioning for Nat to go in. I went and sat next to Magnolia as she bounced anxiously in her chair. I could tell the little speech I’d given her about us killing her had done nothing to calm her nerves. I looked at her with concern when she asked if she could ask me something.

 

“I-I… can I hold your hand when I walk in? You can say no if-f itmakesyouuncomfortable!” I had to hold back a laugh as she dropped her gaze and blushed. I realized how terrified she was to ask that, and my laughter quickly fell away. I waited a moment, not sure if she meant it, but as I stood I held out my hand to her. She grabbed it without meeting my eyes and followed me towards the room. Nat raised her eyebrows in obvious disapproval, but I shrugged it off. Fury didn’t seem surprised.

I only half listened to the conversation, picking up the important bits, but I was startled when she jumped. Apparently Fury was right about her captors, but she clearly didn’t like the idea that Hydra was still around.

I continued to half listen as they talked. I was glad she seem reluctant. This wasn’t the life a kid should be going into. No matter how fucked her life had been up until this point, we could set her up, and she wouldn’t have to deal with living on the streets anymore. The kid could have a good life. I smiled to myself at that. I made a fake gaspy sound when Fury said the same.

It went quiet for a moment. Fury seemed to be waiting for a response, but Magnolia was peering down at her lap. I shifted myself slightly towards her, halfway between checking on her and stepping back as if she’d blow up. I watched as she swayed in her seat before becoming rigid and tense. She gasped and then began collapsing in her seat, shaking with an early seizure. Her face squeezed in pain, emotion flashing through. I was up the moment she started shaking. Pulling the chair away and laying her down on her side.

“Barton, pull Coulson in here and get a medic.” I was out the door before he finished his sentence. I motioned for Coulson to go in as I ran past him. I was halfway to the medic when Fury called.

“Come on back Barton. It was one of her premonitions. She said she’s fine.” I paused my mad sprint.

“What do you mean she’s fine. There’s no way she’s ok. She needs to get to a doctor immediately.” I realized a moment too late that I would get a scolding from Coulson and Fury for speaking to him like that. 

“Agent Barton, the kid said she’s ok, so I say she’s ok. We’ll talk about what just happened; as soon as you get your ass back in my office. That’s a direct order.” I fell silent for a moment.

“Yes sir.” By the time I got back to the room everything seemed to have calmed down; though it was tense. Coulson sported a bruise on his temple, Nat looked cautious but also concerned; I couldn’t tell whether she was concerned about Magnolia or Coulson. I opened my mouth to ask if she was ok, but Fury held up a hand to silence me. 

The conversation that followed was somewhat disturbing to say the least. The way she described her powers was… confusing. I frowned at her agreeing to work with them, but I was more worried about what she’d seen. Her body convulsed as she talked, like she had constant shivers. I wanted to argue when Fury dismissed us, but I listened, following orders like the good little boy that I am. Nat hit me on the back of the head as we walked out.

“What the fuck are you doing?! You’ve argued against orders constantly today. You’re going to get put on desk work for the next year! This kid is not worth your time! Why can’t you see that?” I turned towards Nat, furious.

“What exactly is it that makes you think that? What is it that makes you think she isn’t worth your time?! She’s a kid Nat! We could help her! She could have a better life than we ever had. Why can’t you see that?” Nat glared at me for a moment.

“Fine, judging by the look on Coulson's face, she’s ours. I’ll give her a chance, but if this kid fucks us over in any way, I’ll make sure she’s not your problem anymore.” I sighed, but I knew that Magnolia was going to change things, and she might fuck up occasionally, but she would prove herself. I nodded my head sharply at Nat.

Magnolia walked out, wide eyed and panic stricken. I kept my eye on her as we walked towards our floor.

This girl was going to change things. Big things were coming, and she would be there through it all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So once again, I don't edit these right away, so I apologize about any spelling errors or sentences that don't make sense.
> 
> On a side note, I haven't watched agents of shield, so I'm kind of pulling a lot of the facts from another marvel story I'm reading (Crystallize by IceDragoness, It's freaking amazing and like beautifully written), but I'm not sure what's canon and what's made up for that story; so I'm just kind loosely basing some of the big details on that. Example being the location of Shield headquarters and stuff like that. So again, apologizes if any of it is like completely wrong or anything like that.
> 
> Last note, since I've never watched Agents of Shield and I'm not nearly as good at character building as the story listed above, I'm going to be diving into the Iron Man movies, basically going through the marvel universe in order of time, leading us to an older more mature main character as she goes through it all. But I need to rewatch some of the movies still, so there will probably be a couple more chapters helping us get to know the characters how I have them written and any OC's I have so far.
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys :)

I heard a soft click of my door shutting and bolted straight up. My eyes quickly scanned the room, looking for an intruder, but I found none. Maybe it had been Natasha’s subtle way of waking me up. Knowing she entered the room quietly, she must’ve made the noise with the intention of waking me up. It must be fairly late if she was waking me up. I looked around for a clock and found an analog clock which read 12:34. I sighed, knowing I’d only slept for so long because of the premonition I’d had the day before. 

I slowly pulled myself out of the fluffy nest of bedding I’d made, ruefully, and contemplated what came next. I spied a fresh pair of clothes, this time an expensive looking athletic brand. I grabbed the clothes and opened the door, peering out for signs of the others. When I found none I scrambled across the short hall to the bathroom. I washed up quickly, not used to having access to a bathroom, before quickly pulling on the clothes. I frowned at how I looked. Without the layers I was constantly covered with, you could tell I lived on the streets. I wasn’t dirty or messy, but I was extremely thin. I did what I needed to get food, but I never took more than I needed.

I left the bathroom, tired of seeing myself so small, and headed towards the main room in Natasha’s apartment. I could see remnants of a breakfast, but decided I was better off eating in the communal kitchen. I scanned the apartment, making sure I wasn’t missing a note or anything, but saw nothing and left.

I was greeted with the sounds of grunts and groans as I walked towards the communal area. When I came out of the hallway, I saw Clint wrestling with someone in the middle of the seating area. The table had been moved away and Romanov stood laughing silently at the struggle. Coulson was nowhere to be found. I moved closer to where Natasha was standing, attempting to inform her I was there so she wouldn’t be startled and attack me like the two on the floor were doing.

“I know you’re there kid; come on over and watch this rookie get his ass beat.” The words seemed friendly, but the tone she gave was wary and untrusting. I smiled and moved closer, at least she was trying.

“Sorry I slept in so long, the premonitions are a lot to handle sometimes. I should be fine now though.” She looked over at me and nodded before turning back to the boys.

“Coulson had some business to take care of this morning, but he should be back soon. You can get breakfast, a big one preferably, and chill here until he gets back.” I blushed at her comment but nodded my head. I watched the boys with her for a moment though.

Clint had the guys head pinned between his thighs, while he held his arm away from him, stretching him out while the guy struggled uselessly. I counted how long he was in the hold, 24 seconds, before he tapped Clints thigh. Clint immediately released him and bounced up, hardly having broken a sweat. I gaped slightly as the guy on the floor rolled to his side before pulling himself up. 

“Alright Rumlow, now we know what exactly?” Clint asked him smugly. The man grunted turning a pissed gaze at him.

“Francis and Clinton are off limits as nicknames. Especially on a mission.” He growled the words as he stood. I backed up slightly as he came to full height. Coulson was the tallest between him and Clint, but he seemed so unthreatening in his suit, and while Clint was tall, he didn’t seem threateningly tall. Natasha was tall and slim and screamed danger, but I figured Clint wouldn’t let her kill me. I stared at the man for a moment, finding some resemblance to someone I’d seen before, but I couldn’t place him. I did know that he was dangerous, and even if he was working for Shield, I would never trust him. 

At my small step backwards, both Rumlow and Clint looked over at me. Clint gave a sheepish smiled, seemingly embarrassed that I’d found him in a fight, but Rumlow glared at me.

“This the kid that can see the future? She’s fucking tiny, and a literal child.” He sent Romanov a questioning look.

“Hey watch the language.” Clint said snappily. I let out a soft laugh, knowing that he’d already cursed in front of me, not that I really cared. You get used to fowl language on the streets of New York. “Anyways, yes this is Magnolia. Fury has dubbed her Intern Alesi. She’s shadowing Coulson for now. And she might be a child, but she’s not deaf so address her properly asshole.” Clint finished with a scowl. Rumlow rolled his eyes, obviously used to getting speeches from Clint.

“Hello, Brock Rumlow leader of Strike team 1. We’ve heard a lot about you. Team 1 wishes you a good stay here in Trikelson.” As he introduced himself, he seemed to be gauging my reaction as far as I could tell. His eyes were calculating and searching face. I waited a moment, calculating his response to my gaze before responding. His eyes got hard and he seemed to draw some conclusion from my gaze. I still couldn’t place his face, but I knew I’d just made an enemy some how.

“Magnolia Alesi, street urchin turned agent. Pleased.. to make your acquaintance.” I watched him for a moment longer before turning my back to him. I figured if he was stupid he’d go for it now, especially since I noticed two sets of sharp eyes looking at him. I waited a moment, expecting him to jump me, but nothing came. “I think I’ll go get breakfast now. I’m starving.” I gave a smile to Clint and Natasha, but only Clint returned a weak one. Natasha was looking at me, reading my face the same way Rumlow had, but I let a soft mask fall over my features. Natasha blinked in surprise, but didn’t say anything.

I heard them talking in quiet voices, not quite hushed, as if to exclude me from their conversations, but more cautious about letting me hear. Clint kept glancing at me, and Natasha had shifted so her back wasn’t to me and I sighed. I wanted them to like me; I wanted them to trust me. From my premonition, they are strongly involved and key players in the game that’s been set up for us to play. Once I’d finished assembling a sandwich, Clint came over while I was eating. He sat next to me at the island, but angled his body to face mine.

“That something I should be worried about?” He asked quietly, his eyes calculating. I held back a scoff at how intense everyone's eyes had been. It had given everyone away, but I’d lost progress with Natasha by schooling my features, so I just kept my eyes on my plate. I needed to think carefully about what I said. Suggesting someone was part of the horrific mess I had seen would probably be a big deal.

“He seems familiar, kind of got a bad vibe. He was looking for something, so I looked back. He didn’t like it. I don’t think he likes me. That’s all. I’ll stay out of his way.” I shrugged off the answer, hoping it rolled out nonchalantly. Clint gave a nod, but he didn’t seem fully convinced. I couldn’t tell if he was worried about me or Rumlow, but I was hoping for the latter.

“I got a text from Coulson a couple of minutes ago. Said he was on his way back with presents for you. Then he’ll probably have you follow him around for a bit. Take you on a tour while getting work done. He should have you back before it gets dark.” I nodded, excited to explore a place as big as this. “Tomorrow I get you, which means we’re going to the range. Ever shot anything? Bow? Gun? Slingshot?” I laughed, he had an excited look on his face that screamed enthusiasm.

“I’ve used a gun before, never a bow. I have bad aim though, definitely nowhere near your skill level. It’d be cool to learn.” He seemed surprised that I’d used a gun, but laughed when I mentioned my aim.

“It’s ok Kid. No one is near my skill level when it comes to marksmanship. Not even Nat is as good as I am; though she’s pretty damn good. Don’t let her know I said that though, cause she can kick my ass in the ring. Isn’t afraid to play dirty.” He said the last part in a grumpy mutter. I laughed slightly, even with how little I knew Natasha, I wasn’t at all surprised. “When have you shot a gun kid?” I turned away slightly.

“Saw a man attacking a woman, planning on raping her. I could feel her emotions and distress. I made a bad call. I was too worked up, didn’t think about it. He hadn’t even gotten to her yet before I pulled out a tiny pistol I’d stolen and shot him. Shooting the bullet was like releasing all the emotions I felt from the premonition, and suddenly I realised I’d fucked up. They guy wasn’t guilty of anything yet, and I shot him, so I ran. I don’t know if he lived or not, never saw where the shot hit, but I didn’t use guns after that.” Clint was silent as I told him. I didn’t look up at him as I finished, I’d never told anyone about it for a reason; infact I wasn’t entirely sure why I had confided in Clint.

“Sorry you never got to find out if you’d killed him. Would’ve been good to know you got a scumbag off the street; but I’m more sorry you had to go through that Kid. Shit like that isn’t entirely on you. You should have someone there helping you out with that. We’ll do the dirty work now; you can relax here.” I looked up at Clint, completely taken back by his response. My eyes watered slightly, but I refused to cry. Rather I sprung myself at him, forcing him to hug me. He let out a slightly shaken laugh before hugging me back.

“Alright kid, Coulson will be back soon, so finish eating.” I pulled back and nodded. He got up and went back over to Natasha. Rumlow had left while we had been talking, so it was just the three of us in the apartment. They chatted for a while before turning on the massive TV and watching some sport. Moments later Coulson walked in looking frustrated and stressed.

“Alright team, you two have got a short mission. Report to building C for the information on it. I expect you two to get this done quick.” He motioned for Clint and Natasha to go and they immediately complied. He turned to me next and paused for a moment. “I think I’ll just have you shadow me for today; it’s been a busy day so I don’t know how much I’ll be able to explain. It should at least get you more familiar with the facility.” I nodded and moved next to him. I had put my old shoes back on when I’d gotten dressed, so I was ready to go. “Oh, I almost forgot. THese are for you,” he said handing me a phone and tablet.

My eyes grew wide as I glanced from the gifts to him. I could tell they were Shield products, but I’d never owned something so expensive. He’d already turned back to the work he was doing on his tablet.

“Thank you so much Sir. I won’t let you down.” I pulled the little confidence I had and pushed it through my voice. That was one thing I could promise. I would try my best to change things enough that the future I saw won’t come to light. Coulson turned to me, a pleased expression on his face.

“Call me Coulson, or Phil, save the ‘Sir’s’ for Agent Hill and Director Fury. Were like family around here kid, so even if you do make a mistake, you always get a chance to make things right.” I smiled at him, it was nice of him, but I had a feeling Natasha didn’t quite feel the same way.

“Okay Phil. I’ll try my very best.” He gave me a smile and a nod before walking to the door and opening it.

“Shall we? I have a couple of people to meet in the hangers. It’s normally a long walk for agents, but I’m pretty high up in the chain so I get a mini car; Clint calls it a golf cart, but that feels less manly. Anyways, this ride will give you a pretty good layout of the grounds, and we’ll go over what’s in most of the building as we go by them.” He explained as we walked towards the elevator. “We have a lot of agents still in training on the base, and they mostly stick to the north east side of the place, but they do a lot of run drills anywhere they can. This building is mainly apartments for soldiers and agents that are on base at the moment; but the upper levels have some of the higher ups offices, and back up command rooms. You have to get temporary clearance to get up there, or be a higher up.” We were one floor below ground level in a parking structure as he finished explaining the first building. We walked towards a more advanced looking golf cart that was completely black. He climbed in quickly and I followed him. As we pulled out I was momentarily blind by the sun. 

When we had arrived the day before, Washington was overcast and dark, but the sun had returned in full force today. Coulson reached into a tiny glove compartment and handed me a pair of simple black glasses without saying a word. As we drove around the base, Coulson explained a lot of the buildings, some with simple descriptions, most likely the buildings I wasn’t cleared to know about, and others were more complex descriptions. I was blown away by how big the base really was. We were about 2 hours away from the center of Washington, but Coulson explained that we could get there pretty fast if we needed to.

As we drove Coulson seemed friendly and charming, but the moment we stepped out of the cart, he seemed to slip into a colder, more professional version of himself. The building we were heading into was huge, but only one floor with really high ceilings; and a long take off strip coming out of either side of the building. I held back a groan as we walked in and I immediately spotted Rumlow. He made a face as he spotted Coulson and I walking towards them. He muttered something to the guy next to him and pointed towards me. Coulson froze in his tracks. He turned to me quickly but handed me something before talking in a hushed tone. I could tell he was trying to pretend he was just handing me his tablet and giving me instructions.

“How do you already know Rumlow, and why does he look like he hates you?” He asked me. He looked serious, but not mad.

“He was in the apartment earlier, fighting with Clint, when we meet, he was being too observant of me. I did it back to him and he didn’t like it. I stopped immediately, but it seemed I already pissed him off.” I explained quickly. Coulson nodded, seeming to think the interaction over, but didn’t say anything more on it. I had a feeling he’d be asking Clint and Natasha about it later.

“Ok, I want you to take notes of anything that seems important. Any mission details that could help you later on or anything that stands out to you. Normally you wouldn’t have the clearance level to hear about these missions, but Fury gave you level 6 clearance. Which means he trusts you a lot. I don’t know quite why, no offense, but I trust Fury so I trust you. So just keep track of anything you need to.” I nodded my head, but hesitated a moment before following him. I was beyond surprised the Fury had given me such high clearance. When I was sitting in his office I questioned if he knew something I didn’t; maybe he has future vision. Maybe he can just read people so deeply or something weird like that. I shook myself and followed a step behind Coulson.

“Gentlemen, this is going to be a fairly boring mission, no reception, and it’s basically a stake out. But you get to take your entire team in case anything goes south. We have the location of a Russian Mob leader who has been dealing Stark weapons to terrorists. We have the exact coordinates in the quinjet, but you’ll be flying East to Ukraine.” Rumlow cleared his throat, interrupting Coulson before shifting his eyes over to me.

“Does she have the clearance to hear any of this? I don’t think she should be here for mission brief.” Rumlow crossed his arms and glared at me as he finished speaking. Coulson scoffed at him.

“Do you doubt my authority over you Agent? If I recall correctly, Intern Alesi has been given the same clearance level that you have. And I have clearance above you, making me your superior. Are you questioning my decisions or process?” Rumlow’s eyes widened at my clearance level. I could tell he was forming an argument against it right away. Coulson could too, but he waited patiently for it; most likely looking forward to the punishment he would hand Rumlow.

“Why the hell does she have the clearance level I have after being here less than a day?! It took my years to climb the ranks and become a leading Agent, and Fury lets her join and instantly have clearance? She’s a kid who knows fucking nothing! What the hell does Fury want with this kid?” I took a step backwards and he got too close to Coulson. I was more worried about being in the bubble of furry that surrounded Coulson, than of Rumlows stupid decision to open his mouth.

“Are you questioning Director Fury?” Coulson asked calmly.

“Hell yea I am! How the fuck can you be ok with this?” Rumlow asked, reaching over to grab Coulsons’ shoulder, presumably in a show of friendship; but the moment his hand landed on Coulson's shoulder he realized his mistake. Time slowed down as I watched Coulson grab Rumlow’s hand and flip him on his back in no more than 10 seconds. I stood back amazed, and the agent who had been watching the whole thing moved back a step and held up his hands.

“Agent Rumlow, you’re on office work and will be reporting directly to Fury for the next week, and immediately off this assignment. Agent Evans, you will be the new leader of this mission. Get your team together and get ready immediately.” The other Agent, Evans, quickly complied; obviously not wanting to be there for any more of this. Rumlow pulled himself up slowly, anger coming off him in waves, but his glare was now switching between me and Rumlow. Coulson turned to me, lifting his brow to ask if I was ok, to which I nodded. I had been taking notes on Rumlows actions; still put off by him, but unable to place his face.

“I would give you more of a reaming, but I suspect Fury will do it much better. Plus you can think about it as you walk to his office. Your car privileges have been temporarily revoked.” Rumlow let out a growl and began stalking away, but not before Coulson caught his arm. “I’d watch yourself agent. You’re walking a fine line.” Rumlow shook him off and rammed into me as he walked by. I was fast on my feet, but with someone of Rumlows size, there wasn’t much I could do to avoid him. I caught myself quickly and turned back to Coulson. He looked pissed and I was glad that anger wasn’t directed at me. 

“If he caused you any problems you report directly to Clint, Natasha, or I and we’ll fix it. I’m not sure what his problem is with you, but it’s unacceptable.” I nodded and followed him as he walked back out to the cart. “I’ve got a mission debrief with agents who were looking into rumors of Hydra next. You going to be ok going into that?” he asked as we got into the cart. I sighed but nodded. I needed to induce more premonitions, and though they usually just came whenever, the more information I had meant it would be easier to figure what I needed to do.

Coulson was on the phone as we drove to the next building and I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to where I had been yesterday morning. A kid living on the streets, suspected of murder on multiple accounts, with no one I could trust. Now I kind of had a job, and definitely somewhere nicer to stay than I’d ever had before. And people that I think I could trust eventually. Though I knew I was lying to myself as I thought ‘eventually’. I wouldn’t lie to myself; I trusted Clint to some extent already, and Coulson had just proved himself above and beyond.

I’d found people I could rely on to help me make the right decisions.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, sorry it's been awhile since I've gotten a chapter out. It'll probably be like 1-2 chapters a week, especially over summer. Just a reminder that I don't spell check my writing for awhile, (I'll probably go back every 5 chpts), but other than that, I hope you guys enjoy the Clint chapter.

I spent the rest of the day following Coulson around through various tasks. It turned out that the Agents who were tracking information on Hydra hadn’t come up with anything concrete. Coulson had been frustrated, but quickly moved us onto the next task. The day continued in that fashion, running from building to building arriving at every appointment right on time. Around 6 o’clock Coulson got word that Clint and Natasha were back from their mission. Coulson informed me that it had been a grab and go mission that had gone incredibly well. 

I was beginning to get tired and sleepy, but Coulson still had more appointments. We had done a lot of talking throughout the day, and it seemed I was growing on him, as he eventually lightened up and began joking in between the different appointments. By 6 I had two pages worth of notes that I thought were relevant to the huge premonition I had, or just basic information that would be useful to keep in mind. Coulson would scan my notes occasionally; I assumed checking to make sure I wasn’t writing down specific things that would make it appear that I had ulterior motives.

We were pulling back up to the apartment buildings when Coulson got a phone call. He stepped away from me as soon as we pulled into the garage, and began talking rapidly, and he was clearly getting more and more agitated. I stayed in the cart for five minutes before he finished his phone call.

“Alright Magnolia, I’ve got something else to do, but I think I’ve run you around enough today; so can I trust you to head back up to the apartment? Clint and Nat will be up there along with a few other agents. You can hang out with them or head back to the spare room in Nats flat.” I nodded slowly, but I was kind of confused. Something serious must be going on for him to talk like that. I’d noticed he’d spent the entire day speaking to me as if I were a mutual, rather than a kid with no idea what the hell was going on. But his tone was careful, as if trying to give specific instructions to a toddler.

“Yes, I can handle that, what floor is the apartment on again?” I gave a sheepish smile. I had been so tired the night before that I hadn’t noticed, and I didn’t notice this morning either. Coulson looked relieved and smiled back.

“Floor 8, and we’re the apartment on the left side of the hall.” He smiled, but looked tense and impatient so I got out the cart quickly and waved goodbye. Once I was in the elevator I thought about looking around, but I figured now wasn’t the time. If I wanted Shield to help me, I needed them to trust me. So for now that meant doing what they asked and lying low. As I stepped off the elevator on to the floor, a huge group of guys exited the apartment on the right side of the hall. Most of them were distracted with each other, but a few looked at me in surprise.

I shuffled off the elevator towards the doors on the left side. None of the men said anything, but as I slid past them to the apartment, most of them were gawking at me. I had my hand on the door knob when someone finally said something.

“Hey kid, if you’re going to break into anyone's apartment, I wouldn’t choose that one. They’ll kill ya.” I turned and looked directly at the man who spoke. He was tall, but not that intimidating. I could tell he wasn’t going to do anything. I gave him my biggest smile and opened the door, not breaking eye contact till I had the door closed behind me. I laughed as I shut the door before turning around.

I turned around to the faces of Clint, Natasha, and a couple of other soldiers. I blushed at my antics, having probably embarrassed myself. 

“I-I, there were people in the hall, and I was just teasing-” I cut myself off, staring awkwardly at the group of people. Clint opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by banging on the door I was still leaning against. I squeaked and jumped away, searching for a weapon. Clint stood and put a hand on my shoulder.

“You’re okay, Kid. Probably just the neighbors wondering what you’re doing here.” Clint moved past me and opened the door to the Agent I had teased and a few others. “What can I do for you guys?” Clint asked politely. He seemed indifferent about the situation, giving him an aloof vibe.

“Ah, Hawkeye, S-sir. Sorry to disturb you. We saw a kid walk in here. I-I assumed she was here to steal or something. Not quite sure how she got in…” The man who spoke stumbled over his words, obviously intimidated by Clint. Clint moved to the side waving a hand towards me.

“This kid?” The man who had spoken in the hall nodded. “Yea she lives here now. No need to give her any trouble. If you see her and she looks lost or confused, don’t be scared to help the kid out. She’s new here, and I’m sure we all remember how bad it was when we first got here.” The three men standing in the doorway looked shocked, but nodded their heads.

“Did you and Widow have a kid?” One of them asked. I think he realized a second too late what he’d said because a horrified expression crossed his face; quickly followed by fear. “Sir, I-I’m so sorry… I, uh it, it just slipped out.” He stammered out an apology. His eyes grew wider as he noticed Natasha standing there. I turned around and saw she had a gun in her hand. I scrambled backwards away from her, trying to decide whether or not I was actually going to hide behind the kitchen counter. She wouldn’t actually shoot someone for a comment, right!?

In seconds Clint had moved away from the door, and the sound of a gun clicking filled my ears.  
I gasped, barely holding in a scream. I expected more shouts, but a sudden laughter filled the room. I realized I had crouched on the floor and closed my eyes. I opened them to see one of the men on the floor, clutching a colorful spot on his leg; but rather than a deep red, it was bright blue. It took me a moment to realize that she’d shot him with a paintball gun. Though incredibly painful, really harmless in the long run. I looked at the faces of everyone in the room and found that they were all entertained; well except for the man who’d been shot. Neither Clint nor Natasha were out right laughing, more smirking at the situation.

Clint glanced back as I was looking around. He seemed surprised that I was in such a tense crouching position. He walked towards me and gave me a half smile as an apology. The tension drained from my body and I stood back up, blushing.

“Common Kid, we weren’t gonna kill the guy for a comment. Nat keeps a paintball gun on hand when around the base. She used to get a lot of comments until she started shooting people with it.” I laughed, that seemed like a good way to get people to stop cat calling.

“Sorry, I didn’t.. Like rrrreally think she was going to shoot him. I’m just not used to a gun being pulled… so um… casually. Only ever saw them on the streets if someone was going to get shot. I didn’t mean to freak out about..” I struggled to get the words out. I felt the taste of my own lie in my mouth, but I knew he probably couldn’t tell. Clint patted me on the back in a fatherly fashion.

“It’s ok kid you don’t gotta explain yourself. All the new soldiers get terrified anytime she pulls it out. Fury banned us from interacting with the new guys too much. Anyways, I’ll let Nat handle all that. I feel like it’s past dinner time so I’m sure you’re hungry. I’m thinking… hm, maybe chicken alfredo. How’s that sound?” I nodded and smiled. “Alright go to Nats flat and wash up. I think she got some clothes for you on our way back from the mission, so feel free to change into PJ’s. It is movie night after all.” I smiled and turned towards the hall with Natasha’s room. Most of the people who had been in the room when I came in had left with the three who knocked on the door, it was just Natasha talking to two guys. 

After I changed into my pajamas, I came back out to the common room to watch a movie with Clint and Natasha. I ended up falling asleep halfway through, mainly because it was a sports movie that I had no interest in. Natasha woke me up around 12 and walked me to my room. She didn’t say anything about the nest I made, just pushed me towards it and left. I immediately fell back asleep. It had been a long day, and none of it particularly calm. 

It felt like seconds before there was a knock on my door and sun shining through my window. I panicked for a moment, confused on where I was before I remembered the Shield facility.

“Come in..” I groaned, too comfy to get up. The door opened to reveal Clint. He gave me an evil smile, obviously planning to wake me up.

“Commonnnn! Haven’t you heard? Early archer gets the target. We gotta start training you. So it’s time to get up! I made eggs and bacon, lots. So I need some help eating them. Get up and get ready for a day of training.” I groaned but gave him a thumbs up.  
He left my room quickly, leaving me to slowly crawl out of bed. There was a note on the actual bed that read ‘Check your closet -N’ in neat handwriting. I frowned and headed to the closet to find a weeks worth of outfits and pjs, and another note. ‘These are just the basics so you don’t need to worry about clothes for now; I’ll take you shopping when I have you for the day -N’ it read. I smiled and pulled out an outfit to wear for the day. I went through my morning routine before heading out to the common room. The smell of bacon instantly hit me and I almost drooled. Bacon was seen as a reward from the people who had held me. If I had a really good week, or made use of my powers, they would make bacon the following Sunday. If I was getting bacon, that meant I wasn’t getting punishment; which was perfect in my books.

I pulled a chair out at the island and sat down. Clint turned around and set a plate of the delicious breakfast in front of me. I smiled and gave him a quick thank you before digging in. As I ate I could tell he was looking at me, trying to figure something out, but I avoided his eyes slightly; not sure I wanted to know what his question was. As I finished eating he seemed to move on from his train of thoughts.

“Alright kid, today we’re going to go to the range and learn the basics of handguns. Coulson said not to teach how to shoot a bow, but Coulson is wrong, so we’re going to go over that too. We should be back earlier than you got back yesterday. It’s also Nat’s night to cook, so we’ll probably be eating take out or pizza. Definitely something unhealthy.” I looked at him nervously, ignoring his comments about dinner.

“I’m going to like.. shoot a gun today? Can we just work with the bow?” I asked with puppy dog eyes. He sighed, knowing why I disliked guns.

“I won’t make you fire a gun today, but I need you to know how they work and how to use one; just in case the need arises. We’ll focus on the bow today though.” He gave me a reassuring smile. I let out a breath, relieved that I wouldn’t have to go through the panic that I associate with gunshots.\

Clint didn’t have a special cart like Coulson, and the range was really far away on the base, so we ended up taking a car. Once we got to the range, Clint went to the furthest side and taught me how to handle a Ruger MK, and a couple of other common handguns. He always left the safety on, only turning it off when showing me how to with each gun. When I had the gun in my hands, they shook as I went through the movements that he’d asked me to follow. Even though I felt panicked, I made sure the gun never turned towards a person. I knew Clint liked me the most, but I still needed to be cautious. 

Once we were finished going over the guns, Clint handed me a simple black bow. I pulled on the string slightly and found that it took some force. When I asked Clint why it was so hard he replied with science reasoning, and then asked how I thought he’d gotten the massive muscles on his arms. Since the tension had left my body now that I was holding the bow, Clint had become more relaxed too, and was constantly making jokes and making fun of my horrible aim. I ended up teasing him about his middle name. Laughing maniacally as he looked around, not wanting people to hear his name. The morning faded into afternoon, and though my aim hadn’t improved, I fast at setting new arrows and lining up my shots. He said we’d work on the aim and follow through on another day.   
Around 3 he decided it was time to head back and grab lunch before heading to the gym on our apartment floor. When we got back he made smoothies for the two of us, and though they looked gross, especially knowing he added spinach, they didn’t taste too bad. He talked about how I needed to up my calorie intake everyday; mainly so I was more healthy. He told me Coulson had also scheduled a doctor's appointment for me, mainly because he was concerned I had damaged my body from being so malnourished. I frowned, not thrilled about the doctors, but agreed to go.

I was surprised by how massive the gym on our floor was. It was like Clint switched personalities with a personal trainer once we started using different machines. He pushed me, but not past what I could do. He kept track of what we had done and what we needed to work on. He seemed entirely in his element, just as he had at the range. He had me wind down by walking on the treadmill with him while he talked about the day. 

He talked to me like I wasn’t a kid, but also like I was his student. We went back over everything I had worked on through the day, and talked about how we would improve and work on everything. By the time we were leaving the gym I was exhausted. As soon as I walked back into the apartment I flopped down onto the couch and groaned. I heard Natasha laughing from the kitchen. 

“First day with her Clint and she comes home exhausted. How am I going to take her shopping tomorrow? She’ll be too sore to walk through the mall.” I looked up as Natasha glared and Clint playfully. I laughed too, knowing she was kind of right. I felt wiped out.

“I’ve never even been clothes shopping anywhere but a thrift store. I don’t even know what I’d wear! It seems kind of scary.” Clint and Natasha were both looking at me with frowns. I shrugged, knowing that comment would make most people feel guilty, but I figured they could relate more than anything.

“It’s ok; I’ll help you figure that kind of stuff out. And we’ll take it slow. I just figured doing something more fun would be nice after how chaotic it’s probably been the past couple of days. If the shopping doesn’t go well, we can just hang out and get to know each other.” We smiled at each other. I was glad that Natasha was willing to get to know me. I could see Clint looking at her out of the corner of my eye, but I decided to think positive; this was Natasha making an effort.

We spent the rest of the night hanging around the common room lazily. Eventually Natasha said it was time to go to bed, but instead we stayed up in her apartment watching a chick flick. She asked if she could paint my toenails, and I reluctantly agreed. I was kind of surprised that the infamous Black Widow was so into such feminine things. She always seemed too serious and tough for things like this. I must’ve fallen asleep at some point because the rest of the night faded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm hoping Magnolia has gotten to know Clint a bit better, and Natasha will follow, and then once the characters mesh well together, we'll begin moving through the movies :) Thanks for reading <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is quite a bit shorter, sorry bout that, but I'm really excited to jump into the Iron Man stuff! So there will be a month-ish time jump next chapter. (Spoiler the characters are gonna bond and be even more adorable lol) Hope everyone enjoys!
> 
> Also thanks for reading and thanks for leaving Kudos! It really makes my day :)

The next couple of days passed by in a blur. Natasha and I got along great, even knowing she didn’t trust me. We had fun shopping and I ended up with way too many bags, though she said there was no such thing as too many shopping bags. When we got back from shopping she held me put all the clothes away. We ended up talking a lot that day too. I think by the end of the day she considered me more of a friend, or like a little sister.   
The next day I was back with Coulson, but he was so busy that I basically followed him around. I tried to help him and ended up being his personal assistant for the day. He was more stressed than normal, so we were mostly silent in between meetings, but at the end of the day he thanked me profusely and said he would miss the help in the following days. When I asked why he had been so busy I found out about Tony Stark. I’d heard of the man from the news while I had been in New York, but I hadn’t heard of his kidnapping. Coulson told me it had been two months since his disappearance, and some big wig was making noise about lack of weapon shipment. Pepper Pots, Tony’s personal assistant, had stopped the production of the weapons. 

I felt bad for Coulson; he normally wouldn’t deal with such a small thing, but he’d been assigned to Tony Stark therefore anything to do with his disappearance had been Coulson’s problem. Apparently I felt bad enough that I had a premonition. 

A man falling from the skies, surrounded by desert. A flash of a face, a long trek, trying to find help, The man dying in the sand. His anger and sorrow poured through my body that night. I woke up to Natasha next to me, making shushing noises. I kept trying to breath, but it felt like all I was inhaling was sand. My entire body felt sore and hollow. Natasha handed me water after a moment of trying to communicate with me in my panicked state. I immediately told her to get Coulson.

It took seconds for me to realize the man had been Tony Stark. I didn’t know if what I saw would happen in hours or months, but I did know that I might be able to help. When Natasha returned, Coulson and Clint trailed behind her, both wide awake; though they looked exhausted. When I explained what happened in the premonition, Coulson immediately pulled out is cellphone and began making calls. Apparently with the details I’d given him, he was positive Fury would allow for search parties. Especially since they knew that he was still in Afghanistan. Natasha and Clint hung around long after Coulson left, but I was exhausted. My body was still tense with the emotions of someone else swirling through it, but I couldn’t help but fall back asleep.

When I woke up again Natasha was asleep on top of the bed, but Clint had left. I was surprised that she was willing to sleep in here with me, but also touched that she was worried enough to do so. I sat up slowly, my body still sore and tired. Today I was supposed to be with Clint again, but I was considering being “sick”. I was in no mood to run through the instructions of shooting or for Clints hard work out routine. I quietly crawled from my bedding, attempting to get out of the room without waking Natasha, but as I stood, I felt her hand grab my wrist. I let out a soft squeak of surprise, and turned around to find her eyes still closed.

“Are you feeling better now?” she asked quietly, her voice thick with sleep. I nodded my head, but her eyes were still closed.

“Yea, I’m sore and tired but I’m starving. I want to see if I can get Clint to make chocolate chip pancakes. And then maybe take the day slow I guess.” Natasha dropped my hand and made a ‘hmmm’ noise.

“You did good tonight Magnolia. I’m gonna keep sleeping on your naked bed, because it’s clearly been lonely.” she mumbled before her breathing evened out again.

I made my way out to the common room, but found it empty. I frowned, but went to the kitchen and grumpily made pancakes for myself. I was halfway through eating them when the front door of the apartment opened and a stranger walked in. A man, who looked the average age for shield agents; around 20-25. He was really tall, but looked welcoming and friendly. He smiled at me as his eyes met mine, but I paused.

“Hey, you must be Magnolia. Natasha has talked a lot about you. Let me introduce myself, I’m Noah Schnap. I work with Nat on a lot of her missions, and Clint sometimes too.” He walked closer to me and held out his hand as he spoke. I took his hand and shook it reluctantly. He laughed and gave me a bright smile. “We like that skepticism here at Shield. Any chance you know where Nat is? She said we had a very important assignment today.” I nodded.

“She’s asleep in the guest bedroom in her apartment.” He looked confused with the guest bedroom aspect. “She can explain why…” I said thoughtfully; not knowing how much I could reveal to Noah. He smiled and walked towards her apartment.

I went back to making my breakfast, having moved on to the bacon aspect of it. I had made enough for Natasha and I to eat, but now I wasn’t sure if I should’ve. It felt odd to be so alone right now. Usually I had someone glued to my side pushing me towards the next activity, but Clint was out, and Coulson was busy with the information I’d given him last night. About twenty minutes later Noah and Natasha came out of her room. Natasha looked far more awake, while Noah looked slightly dazed and rumpled. I sent them both a quizzical look, Natasha brushed it off, but I could see a blush creeping up Noah’s face.

“Ooo breakfast! Is there enough for me?” Natasha asked as she walked around the large kitchen island. I nodded and pointed to a plate loaded with food. “Cool, you’re the best. I got a text from Clint right after you left. He said he got assigned a case, so we’re switching days, aka you get to hang with Noah and I today.” She put the plate down in front of a chair and slid into it before patting the one next to her for Noah to sit on.

“I figured. It was weird walking out here and finding it empty and quiet. What are we going to do today?” I was looking at Noah, waiting for him to answer, while Natasha gave a snort.

“I’m not sure, probably a chill day. You said you wanted to take it easy anyway. It looks like those premonitions drain the fuck out of you.” Noah gave a squeak as Natasha cursed.

“Nat! She’s a kid watch your language!” I smiled at Natasha as she met his eyes with a determined look.

“Well, fuck. It was just a fucking slip of the tongue. No need to get your panties in a twist. She a fucking big girl, either way. She can handle some shitty language.” Noah was turning redder with each word. There was a pause before Natasha and I burst out laughing. 

“My mom would beat you both. You’d think raising me in Queens would have her used to the language, but no, she would always say ‘People who curse just aren’t smart enough to express themselves properly’. I’d always be like ‘Ma, there’s no better way to express anger than letting out a good curse.” Natasha shot him a smirk, pleased with her teasing.

“From Queens? You ever miss it?” I asked softly. I’d felt homesick the past day, missing the bustling streets and constant noise New York provided. He looked at me with surprise, but nodded his head softly.

“Never got used to the isolation of this base. When I was working on the Air Force base in California, there was still a semi constant stream of noise, but out here, there’s nothing unless something big is going down. Feels lonely sometimes, but it’s also easier to breath out here.” He added the last part with a laugh.

“Alright, you’re cool in my books.” He looked pleased that he’d gotten my approval while Natasha laughed quietly. “So if we’re taking it easy today, does that mean movies and popcorn? I let you pickkkk!” I said in a sing-song tone. Natasha smiled and nodded.

The day went by quickly. There was a lot of food, and a lot of jokes, usually Natasha and I picking on Noah; though occasionally we ganged up on her. She gave Noah a hard punch in the arm, so we stopped teasing her fairly quickly. At one point we had been talking about Clint, Natasha and Noah sharing embarrassing stories, when I asked Natasha if she worried about Clint when he was gone on missions. She said No, that he would always come back fine. But I could taste the lie on my tongue as she said it. She wouldn’t meet my eyes for some time after that.

Eventually Coulson came back, looking exhausted, but he thanked me again for the information and said they would have patrols out to look for him. I nodded, but told him I wasn’t sure when it had happened. He said they wouldn’t stop looking till they found him. Tony Stark was an important man. I agreed, but didn’t say anything. I’d seen flashes of his face the day Fury recruited me. He was there through it all.

Coulson ended up ordering pizza for all of us, but as soon as we’d finished, he told Noah it was time to leave. There was a tension between Coulson and Natasha after that, but every time they got into a staring contest, Coulson would always break by looking at me. It took me awhile to piece together that Natasha and Noah were more than friends, and Coulson wasn’t comfortable with him staying when I was in the same apartment as Natasha. When we finished the last movie and headed to our rooms, I told Natasha that her boyfriend was cute, and that I wouldn’t care if Noah disobeyed Coulson's orders. Natasha laughed and told me I was observant. I told her I wasn’t blind, and also not a kid. I knew how babies were made; I didn’t need to be coddled all the time. She just smiled at me and nodded.

That night was quiet but peaceful, I found myself thinking about the future; and for once I had a smile on my face.


End file.
